walnut

You also have to understand that my gaming conquests for the past six months have inolved long hours of galloping around Azeroth, questing for the secret recipe to make Resplendant Spandex Leggings of the Wombat. While I was leveling the most dashing restoration spec'd druid in the kingdom, I gave little thought to realism or IP integrity, so BF2 is a nice segway for me back to the FPS genre. On another topic, there's two new Q & A's on the game, here at ubi uk and here at computer and video games. There's such divergent messages they're putting out. The trailers say "great looking action game for 10 year olds" while the developers say something completely different in their interviews. For instance, it'd be nice if they showed us this tactical map in the trailers.... maybe they could finally banish the marketing machine that ate my copy of GR2 for PC.

That's really not necessary, but I'll challenge your comment with a response: I'm 40, and I don't feel like I'm getting stroked when I play Battlefield 2, because it's unsurprisingly similar to the original game. Go figure. I knew full well what I was getting into when I picked it up, and it plays as advertised. GR3 on the otherhand isn't looking to be the tac-sim game one might expect, having been a loyal fan for going on 4 years now. I find this to be untrue, but it's simply my opinion. GR3 is looking a little too Buck Rogers for my liking, and honestly, "the dramatic effect" of the talking heads, the over-the-top warrior of the future stuff, and the fact that the game will most probably be limited to playing one character, have all really killed it for me. I disagree. It's fun. It's a game, and it's a fun game, no matter how "simplistic" it is. For the size of the maps, and the draw distance, the game engine is a thing of wonder. I think they've done an amazing job with the graphics, and the maps are very richly detailed... it's not as easy as one might think to develop a capable, modern game engine these days. I applaud Dice... and I really like how they're balanced "realism" with gameplay. But no, it's no replacement for a GR1 sequel, that's for sure. But I already said I was unhopeful from the start.

Unimpressed. Engine looks fantastic... implementation of the license, on the other hand, doesn't look promising at all. That's just my $0.02. Enjoying the hell out of BF2, however....

Those are your observations... my experience, however, says that lots of people post on forums to do more than just cry about the game they're playing (or in GR2's case, *not* playing) -- I, for instance, usually post on forums to meet other people who play the same games I play...

That's the nutshell, right there. Ubi's marketing dweebs aren't concerned with a game that has staying power -- ala modability or nonlinear gameplay -- they're looking strictly at the fastbuck. In fact, I doubt they're interested in games at all. We're talking about pencil-pushers here, gentlemen; and the new generation of pencil pushers are like locusts: they deplete one marketplace and migrate to the next one -- all in the name of first-quarter revenues and on-target ROI. Once someone finds them out they jump ship, leaving some poor schmuck to hold the bag. I've seen it countless times in publishing/media companies: bunk marketing is a strawdog for these vertically mobile scumbags. This is how companies arrive here: http://forums.ubi.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/86...32/m/1521031523

I'm going to weigh in with a pledge to do the same, Tort. Thanks for your post -- it sounded sincere, even if coming from a lawyer! =P I've been honoring my promise not to post here since Novemeber, 2004 but I've lurked regularly, and I've been following the major discussions -- sometimes having to sit on my hands to avoid posting. Incidentally, I'm 40, with no military experience, but I come from a family with members who served in WWI, WWII, the Korean War and in Vietnam. On to my post.... While the cancellation of GR2 to PC was a disappointment, it would have been far more of a disappointment for Ubi to have released a cheesed, consolized version of the game for our platform. I figure it this way: Ubi recognizes the significance of the PC market. We spoke, they listened. In fact, in the GR3 press releases, Ubi has even regurtitated our very own arguments for a legitimate successor to GR1, by stating that: ... Which we lorded over them from the time that GR2 Xbox was announced. As an aside, I find it interesting that all the folks who masterminded the consolization of GR2 are seemingly MIA. What happened to the bedazzlng Heather Chandler? I don't doubt for a second that the Xbox game made money hand over fist -- but all those man hours sunk into GR2 PC were a complete and utter write-off. I mean, they're not even using the RSE engine (which looked amazing to me, btw) for the next iteration of the game. I would venture to say there were pinkslips (or at least demotions) handed out when it was realized that they couldn't give us that game, and had spent so many development dollars on producing it. While I wish it was in fact RSE making GR3 for PC -- and only because they're the shop that gave us GR1, and so it stands to reason that they'd know best how to do it again -- I will take Tort's sentiments of "clean slate" and "fans like us" to heart and remain hopeful. It is a stretch, but I have to remember it's a crazy industry -- where just about anything can happen. Remember, we're talking about a mega-franchise here: a Tom Clancy franchise... and we're also looking at what Ubi considers a flagship product for Xbox 360. I'm sure they don't want all us old timers poo-pooing over their console cashcow. It's easier to simply give us what we want: a squad-based tactical shooter with the openness and freedom of the original game, not an arcadey shootemup that limits you to playing one character in a linear fashion. And so, I warmly welcome GRIN to our forums, and I sincerely hope they're given the chance by Ubi (and by us fans) to create the rightful successor to the [Ghost Recon]. EDIT: my keyboard hates me.

i'm sorta done with the whole affair. i'm done with the people who shill for ubi, and the way the pc fans have been marginalized so ubi could make their big holiday money. at this point, i don't really care how great the pc version is because i feel as though it's too little too late.... but it goes WAY deeper than that, too: i've had a fundamental change in my perception of the tactical shooter genre. i think i'm pretty much over it. the fact that more and more publishers are targeting kids with these games -- and with the US government's current foreign policy -- i'm disappointed that these games strive for realism, yet sterilize war and combat by removing blood/gore, and by providing a very homogenized experience of combat in general. basically, i'm politically conflicted and frustrated with a publisher who's out to gouge the market based on demographic research... as an aside, i was suprised to see how much fun i had in the WoW open beta. that game comes out on the 23rd of this month and i think it would do me well to focus on that: it's fun, it's cooperative, and it isn't tainted with whackass world politics. bye.

i just ordered a pair from here. they ship to US and canada.

i believe the reason that the pc release date's been pushed back so far (and that we're not hearing *any* pc-specific news) is because microsoft flexed its exclusive-xbox-release muscle ... and ubi swooned... anyone else think there's legitimacy to that? it wouldn't be the first time ms tried to jockey a highly anticipated title for a platform exclusive -- and with the timing of HALO2's release, and the coming holiday season.... i'd say that makes a strong case. you put all those things together, and well, let me put it this way: i already got my request signed off by the financial director -- and believe me, mrs. walnut is a tough sell. ;-) i'm still undecided. i want to play the game now, but it would mean that i'd have to eat alot of crow: i've talked too much #$@% over the past three years about the xbox being a gimped gaming platform, i don't want to break down now. i just spent almost $1000 CA for an x800 pro and an athlon 3000+ processor upgrade -- and i'll be damned if i'm going to *downgrade* to a freakin' console. i dunno... it's very compelling (especially with a refurb'd xbox at $120-$160 USD)... i still may take the plunge, but i'll be cursing mr. gates all the way to the register if i do!

thanks for the report, nyr. i especially appreciate your candor when describing how personable christian is.... and i'm sure the same applies to casey.... however, i continually find myself wondering why a fan's report (like yours) does more to dispel anxiety -- or provide more in depth info pertaining to things that hardcore fans are concerned with -- than the developers (or a community manager, for that matter) can... WHY? why even have a "community manager" if he can't manage community expectations? if these guys are so empassioned, wth can't they communicate any of these details to their fanbase? is this "ubi gag order" stuff really true? if so, what drives it? how is there such a huge gap between what the developers have created, and what ubi marketing wants to communicate about the game? are there that many suits between us and them? honestly, it doesn't add up -- there's just too much of a hyperbole between ubi and rse for the amount of time they've been "working together". regardless of all that, it would seem the old addage is true: it all comes out in the wash... and we're getting the true sequel to gr1. i'm really excited, but it's also obvious that i'm disappointed that we (the pc fans who helped make gr 1 goty) have been disenfranchised for so many months: so that the game could demo'ed at e3 as an "action shooter"; so that the game could be marketed to xboxers as a "socom-killer"; and so that the game could be finished and "development could be started" on the pc. come to think of it -- WE STILL DON'T HAVE ANY SOLID PC DETAILS... it's all speculation based on the frikkin' xbox. after such a great a report, it would be nice to see some reform in the process. i mean, if christian can sit down with you and chat about the game, what's stopping a game journalist from getting the same scoop? why haven't we received any solid details on the pc game?! i'm sure the game is going to rock. i just wish i was more sure about the future with ubi. hell. let 'em keep their clancy licenses and IP... but i'd love to see rse go off on their own, find a new publisher, and have the freedom to create the games they want, without interference from some nitwit suit.... because some of the people we've been introduced to while this game was being publicized really had me scratching my head and asking myself: how in the world did he (or she) get involved in the development of this game? screw ubi. long live rse. thanks again, nyr. and a big thanks to christian for taking time to show up at these events and for making himself available here, as well. much respect.

[nevermind]

any network device connected via ethernet has a MAC address... the problem is that MAC address alone isn't a reliable way of enforcing a ban (new ones can be burned in, and they can be spoofed). a better approach is to use a combination of hardware key (like a harddrive ID), a cd key, and an IP/MAC address... the problem is, a clever hack can get around any of those combos, too. just like some ISP's are now dealing with spam by considering all mail as "hostile," i think at some point developers/system manufacturers will start using "whitelists" for online gaming. something like a pay-to-play database of gamers where you enter a trust relationship with a GSP (game service provider), but rather than a monthly fee, there's a one time registration that issues you either a dongle (to unlock a system) or some type of passcard, etc. i know that sounds ultra pessimistic, but after being embattled against a community of cheaters in another game, and working with united admins to block them (i learned quite a lot about these halfwits who cheat, and the people who provide them with the know-how to do it), i can tell you, the situation is only going to worsen over time... i mean, this generation of kids out there doesn't have a clue as to the legacy of online gaming -- nor do many of them respect or honor my right to enjoy a game sans cheaters. it seems most developers are completely oblivious to it as well when they create game server UI's... as though online multiplayer gaming is some kinda huggabuncha-barney-the-purple-dinosaur lovefest. ...yeesh. and speaking of server utilities... wouldn't it be nice to have a dedicated linux server ( and client ;-)

why can i not even get on the d**** site...i think it is prejudiced against Mac users in their birthdate script. i have run every browser I have, Safari, Netscape 7.x IE 5.x and keep getting a "null value" error when the javascript tries to redirect grrrrrrrrr ← try deleting cookies/cache.

thanks for my new desktop! ... that render of mitchel was looking mighty lonely... and now i got the whole GR2 gang adorning my workspace.... in fact, like it so much i put it on my linux box, too ) thanks for an awesome render!!!

cool. ai programming has always been an area of fascination for me. i've dabbled in a various bot-related mod projects using the quake & unreal engines and have the followed the work of several developers and their innovations in the field. i look forward to checking out this article. very cool stuff, thanks.